U.S. men's semifinals preview: Djokovic-Nishikori, Cilic-Federer

NEW YORK -- Can Kei Nishikori continue his historic run? Will Roger Federer be able to recover from his five-set match against Gael Monfils? Here's a preview of

Courtney Nguyen | Sep 5, 2014

U.S. men's semifinals preview: Djokovic-Nishikori, Cilic-Federer /

NEW YORK -- Can Kei Nishikori continue his historic run? Will Roger Federer be able to recover from his five-set match against Gael Monfils? Here's a preview of Saturday's men's semifinals at the U.S. Open:

No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 11 Kei Nishikori (12 p.m., Arthur Ashe Stadium): Nishikori earned a well-deserved two days of rest after posting back-to-back five-set wins for the first time in his career to become the first Japanese man since 1933 to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal. His victories over MilosRaonic -- in a match that tied the latest finish ever at the U.S. Open when Nishikori put away a volley at 2:26 a.m. -- and Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, were performances that chipped away at the long-standing theory that the 24-year-old was physically and mentally "soft."

Rare Photos of Roger Federer

A very young Roger Federer takes to the court.

A 16-year-old Roger Federer holds up his trophy after winning the boys' singles title at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in London on July 5, 1998.

A 17-year-old Roger Federer poses with Obie, the Orange Bowl mascot, after winning the boys' singles title at the Orange Bowl in Miami on Dec. 20, 1998.

2000-Roger-Federer-Key-Bicayne(2).jpg — Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Roger Federer poses on the beach for a feature shoot during the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., on March 27, 2000.

Roger Federer relaxes on the beach for a feature shoot during the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., on March 27, 2000.

Roger Federer makes a public appearance at Federation Square before the Davis Cup games in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 12, 2003.

Jackie Chan and Roger Federer share a laugh on the ''Wetten Dass...?'' television entertainment show at the Messehalle in Nuremburg, Germany, on Dec. 11 2004.

Roger Federer holds a tennis racquet like a guitar during an SI photo shoot in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21 2004.

Roger Federer poses like a statue during an SI photo shoot in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21 2004.

Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec arrive for the 6th Annual White Tie & Tiara Ball to Benefit the Elton John Aids Foundation in London on June 24, 2004.

Roger Federer signs autographs for fans outside the Ed Sullivan Theater after appearing on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in New York City on Sept. 12, 2005.

Gavin Rossdale and Roger Federer walk through the Chelsea area of New York City on Sept. 1, 2006.

Pierce Brosnan meets Roger Federer during an interview for the BBC on day eleven of Wimbledon in London on July 6, 2007.

Roger Federer talks with WWE pro wrestler John Cena during the U.S. Open in the Queens borough of New York City on Aug. 25, 2007.

Roger Federer walks off the field before Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 3, 2008.

Roger Federer is introduced before his match with the then-most decorated Grand Slam player ever, Pete Sampras, in the NetJets Showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 10, 2008.

Roger Federer Foundation via Getty images

Roger Federer visits children at a school funded by his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, in Kore Roba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 12, 2010.

Roger Federer plays table tennis with local school children during his visit to a school funded by his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, in Kore Roba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 12, 2010.

Roger Federer laughs with Pete Sampras as they attend a game between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on March 4, 2011.

Roger Federer meets with Prince Charles on day three of Wimbledon in London on June 27, 2012.

The data points have been there. He beat Federer to make the Sony Open semifinals in March but then withdrew with a groin injury. A month later he made his first ATP Masters 1000 final, in Madrid, beating Raonic and No. 5 David Ferrer, and led then-No. 1 Rafael Nadal by a set and a break before retiring with a back injury. There were doubts he could rebound from outlasting Raonic here to compete with Wawrinka just 36 hours later, but he passed with flying colors. Maybe, just maybe, Nishikori has turned the corner.

"I think he's playing best tennis of his life in the last 12 months," Djokovic said. "He started working with Michael Chang and he changed a few things in his game. He serves very efficiently. Obviously he's very, very fast, maybe one of the fastest on the tour."

Daily Bagel: Nishikori makes Japan's front page news, dogs who love tennis

In his last two matches, Nishikori benefited from facing offensive-minded players who can be error prone. Raonic hit 72 unforced errors; Wawrinka struck 78. Those free points helped keep Nishikori in the match, and his speed surely played a big part in forcing his opponents to go for too much. Djokovic is a different kind of player, though. He's kept his errors relatively low, with the most, 48, coming in his four-set win against Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. The 27-year-old Serb will be the best defender and returner that Nishikori has seen all tournament. Nishikori has been broken just eight times through five matches, including four against Raonic. How easily Nishikori can hold against Djokovic will set the tone of the match, their first since 2011 and only their third meeting overall.

Prediction: Djokovic in 4.

No. 3 Roger Federer vs. No. 16 Marin Cilic (after Djokovic-Nishikori on Ashe): Federer is 5-0 against Cilic, though they played a tight match last month at the Rogers Cup, where the Swiss needed seven match points to seal a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 victory. Cilic reached his first U.S. Open semifinal by defeating No. 31 Gilles Simon in five sets in the fourth round and No. 7 Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Federer, of course, rallied from a two-set deficit and saved two match points to overcome Gael Monfils 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday to make his first third major semifinal of the season and first at the U.S. Open since 2011.

Federer survives Monfils and advances to U.S. Open semis

Cilic did not play the U.S. Open last year; instead, he was home in Croatia, training and waiting to return from a four-month doping suspension. (Cilic said he unknowingly ingested a banned stimulant from a glucose tablet bought at a pharmacy.) He has come back strong, winning two early-season titles and pushing Djokovic to five sets in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Cilic's powerful game has been clicking in New York.

Cilic said he's been playing well since around the French Open, where he lost to Djokovic in four sets in the third round. "Things are in a good place for me," he said.

"I must say he's really cleaned up his game," Federer said. "I mean, he's done well in the past. It's not like he's come from the top 50 player to all of a sudden knocking on the top 10 door. He's been there before."

Offbeat photos from the 2014 U.S. Open

Gael Monfils

Novak Djokovic

Pablo Cuevas

Serena Williams

Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell

Roger Federer

Kei Nishikori

Alize Cornet

Marinko Matosevic and Michael Jordan

Kimiko Date-Krumm

Ekaterina Makarova

Fabio Fognini

Aleksandra Krunic

Taylor Townsend

Gwen Stefani

Caroline Wozniacki

Andy Murray

Venus Williams

Maria Sharapova

Katie Boulter

Fan under an umbrella

Gael Monfils

Joe Jonas

Tomas Berdych

Caroline Wozniacki

Sara Errani

Fans

Bob and Mike Bryan

Flavia Pennetta

Gael Monfils

Jay Pharoh and model Heidi Klum

Kei Nishikori

Marin Cilic

Mike Bryan

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni

Roger Federer

Victoria Azarenka

Unlike Djokovic and Nishikori, Federer and Cilic have just one day of rest before the semifinals. That shouldn't be a problem for Cilic, but we'll have to see how Federer's body rebounds from his tough five-setter against Monfils. Given how well Federer has responded physically throughout the year, I don't think it will be an issue.

Prediction: Federer in 5.

Published Sep 5, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.